December 6, 2017 8:00pm ESTDecember 6, 2017 7:49pm ESTCollingwood Pies president and media personality Eddie McGuire believes any more strict restrictions on the interchange rules in the AFL will lead players to consider extreme measures, such as taking performance-enhancing drugs.

Sporting News

Published on Dec. 6, 2017

Dec. 6, 2017

Collingwood Pies president and media personality Eddie McGuire believes tighter restrictions on the interchange rules in the AFL will lead players to consider extreme measures, such as taking performance-enhancing drugs.

In 2016, the AFL reduced the amount of interchanges from 120 to 90, and McGuire is worried that the competition may be forcing players down a dark road if the rule changes further.

“I think the AFL have got to be careful,” McGuire told Triple M.

"When the AFL brought in the limitations on the interchange, the first thing I said at the presidents' meeting was, 'you're going to drive people into looking at taking EPO'.

"Now of course when I said that everyone went nuts, but it seems night follows day, so that was always a big issue. I don't think it's happened but I still think you've got to be careful when you're driving athletes into a position where they have to think about, 'how can I get fitter when there's nowhere else to go?'

"We're in a position with footy (where) we don't need to play in the international level, so we can be as hard as we want to on our drugs in footy and I think the AFL are doing a pretty good job but I'd toughen up even further."

EPO (erythropoietin) was made famous when cycling legend Lance Armstong was found to be guilty of taking the peptide in 2012.